BAC/Aérospatiale Concorde

Skill Level 3. Previous experience recommended.

This model is a collaboration between designer Erik te Groen and myself, and builds into a 1:144 scale replica of Concorde. It may be built with landing gear extended or retracted and with the 'droop nose' in one of four configurations. The completed model is approximately 17 inches long with a wingspan of 7 inches.

You will need a colour printer capable of handling card or cover stock to print the parts sheets. 67 lb cover stock (approx 8.5 thousandths of an inch or 0.2 mm thick) is recommended.

About the Concorde

The Concorde is among the most attractive and easily recognized aircraft ever built. It is the most successful of the two supersonic transport (SST) types to have entered service, and its graceful shape became a symbol of national pride for the countries that designed and manufactured it.

Developed in the 1960s and entering service in 1976, the Concorde flew at over twice the speed of sound and could carry its passengers across the Atlantic in as little as three hours. In spite of initial interest by many airlines, only British Airways and Air France eventually bought the planes, with 14 in total entering service.

Concorde's reputation as the world's safest passenger plane ended in 2000 when an Air France flight crashed on takeoff, killing all aboard and resulting in the grounding of the Concorde fleet. With safety improvements Concorde returned to service the next year, but rising operating costs and lower passenger numbers made it no longer economically viable. In 2003 both British Airways and Air France withdrew Concorde from service, and the surviving aircraft now rest in museums across Europe and North America.